In its world premiere at the Playhouse, Arthur Kopit and Anton
Dudley's breezy play has its rough spots, but when it works, it
works beautifully well, and it's chock-full of local lore, history
and authentic characters.

"A Dram of Drummhicit" is the story of a ruthless American real
estate developer whose plan to develop a golf resort on the small
island of Muckle Skerry in Northern Scotland hits a suprising snag.
Bog bodies (the perfectly preserved corpses of Iron Age murder
victims) keep popping up out of the peat, and his goal of building
a fairway through a hilltop fairy village has the island's
inhabitants (both real and supernatural) in an uproar.

As the play opens, the developer's high-strung young "fixer"
from New York, Charles Pearse, arrives to spread some cash around
to quietly solve the bog body problem. Led by genial bartender
Mackenzie Stewart, the islanders happily welcome the visitor, who
they hope will bring prosperity to their poor, mostly pagan village
of Wormit.

But when they discover the development will disrupt the highly
temperamental fairies, the deal is off. And when Charles falls for
an island girl who claims to have fairy blood, he must choose sides
in the battle between superstition and progress.

But having two playwrights gives the "Dram" script an
overwritten quality. There are too many characters, some convoluted
plot threads, and in some cases an uneven tone from scene to scene.
An overcrowded bar scene in the first act drags; a climax on the
fairy mountaintop is clunky and nonsensical; and the motivations
for two characters ---- the bog body researcher Felicity Oliphant
and the Scottish golf course project manager Harry Morgan --- are
hard to understand.

On the other hand, some scenes are pure gold, particularly the
budding romance between Charles and his sweet, guileless fairy girl
Fiona (under the joyously approving eye of her father, the
fisherman Angus). It would be nice to see more time spent on this
relationship and Charles' slow conversion from skeptic to believer,
and less time on the many extraneous subplots (particularly the
scientist's confusing theory on erotic asphyxiation, which goes
nowhere and ends strangely).

Christopher Ashley always brings a buoyant, joyful irreverence
to the shows he directs, and in "Dram" those qualities help bridge
the problem spots in the script. His cast is also terrific.

Lucas Hall (seen last in at the Old Globe as the title character
in "Hamlet") is a perfect fit for Charles Pearse, who arrives on
the island uptight, nervous, withdrawn and literally chained to his
employer (via a satellite phone case handcuffed to his wrist). It's
fun seeing his cares melt away under the devoted care of his fairy
princess, Fiona (a bubbly, upbeat Polly Lee).

John Ahlin is also quite wonderful as Fiona's father, Angus, who
is so keen on seeing the young couple consummate their
relationship, he pulls up a chair near their bed to share in their
discovery.

Wonderful character actor Alan Mandell is fun to watch as
William Ross, an elderly (and double-dealing) islander helping to
seal the resort deal, though his motivations are nebulous and his
role could be expanded.

As bartender Mackenzie Stewart, Kelly AuCoin is particularly
good in the scene where he giddily retells the "legend" of how the
golf course project came to be. Kathryn Meisle is amusing as the
quirky bog body scientist Felicity Oliphant, but her role needs a
serious rewrite (and could even be eliminated with little loss to
the story). And Murphy Guyer is amusing as the heartless American
developer Robert Bruce (who looks and acts like cruel boss Dabney
Coleman in the 1980 film "9 to 5").

Adding some nice support are UC San Diego MFA student Daniel
Rubiano as town handyman Little Nick (with one of the cast's better
Scottish accents) and English-born San Diego actor Ron Choularton
in the ensemble.

The physical production (sets by David Zinn, lighting by Philip
Rosenberg, sound by John Gromada) brings an aura of mystery and
history to the boggy, windswept island, and Eva Barnes should be
credited for her work as dialect coach.

One small note for families. Although "Dram" is a comedy and
virtually all of the humor is PG-rated, there is a brief flash of
nudity and a suggestive joke.

"A Dram of Drummhicit" is a light, entertaining evening that's
fun and amusing, but with a bit of a rewrite, could really
sing.